Djokovic forms Professional Tennis Players Association because he doesn't like the ATP. No women allowed

[miri1985]

www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/sports/tennis/tennis-union-men-djokovic.html

"Frustrated by what they view as a lack of leverage in the sport of men’s tennis, top-ranked Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil are forming a breakaway body to represent the interests of male players outside of the current structure of the Association of Tennis Professionals, and have resigned their leadership roles in the association’s player council."

"Many details about the new group remain vague beyond its name, the Professional Tennis Players Association, and its intention to represent men’s singles players in the top 500 and doubles players in the top 200."

"One glaring absence from the plan is the inclusion of women’s players in the formation of the group.

Pospisil had spoken eagerly last year about working together with female players. The idea appeared to gain steam as Pospisil led a large group, including Sloane Stephens and others, to urge the Grand Slam tournaments to commit more money to athletes. The tournaments did not engage.

Yet as leaders of the men’s and women’s tours expressed in the spring that it might be mutually beneficial to merge the tours — especially in light of the financial troubles brought on by the coronavirus pandemic — many men’s players reacted negatively to that prospect and some said that women’s players did not deserve to make as much money as the men."

Pathetic. Female tennis players train as long and as hard as make players. So what if their games are a bit shorter.
Don't understand why they wouldn't want female players to join their gang though; women's tennis is massively watched and supported.

These people live on another planet... There is an over abundance of sources of entertainment nowadays (let's face it, the commercial side of professional sport is just that). And an overabundance of places for sponsors to advertise themselves. Their business model is crumbling.

Not only is their sexism archaic, the way they make money soon will be as well.

Is there going to be that klaxon like on QI if I state the obvious?

I'm not Djokovic greatest fan anyway. Another mark against him

I wish all women players pulled a Pippa Bunce and identified as men on days it suits them.

Argh. Novak is a cracking player but he's an absolute knob of a human. He's been quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) grumbling about this for years. I hope one or ideally several of the other top male players gets involved with specific intention to assert influence. Then they bring in the women.

"Andy, who's the greatest ever tennis player?"
"Serena"

♥️

I lost all respect for Novak Djokovic with his behaviour that probably led him to contract Covid 19.

Not to mention that he has revealed himself to be an anti vaxxer.

I'll see if I can find the Private Eye column about his coronavirus tournament that he organised. Brilliant wordplay, it was a classic.

I'll see if I can find the Private Eye column about his coronavirus tournament that he organised. Brilliant wordplay, it was a classic.

I hope you can find it, I'd love to read it.

He's been a weapons grade bell-end for many years (albeit an undoubtedly great tennis player) between the anti-vaxx stance and his long-standing belittling of the achievements of women players.

Found it. Just a bit of silliness - a bit like his tournament. Champion super spreader indeed.

I know men shouldn't get brownie points for being decent human beings but this is another reason why I will always be an Andy Murray fan as he's already said he wont be joining due to the exclusion of women.

Thank you Fanny

@NeedToKnow101

Pathetic. Female tennis players train as long and as hard as make players. So what if their games are a bit shorter. Don't understand why they wouldn't want female players to join their gang though; women's tennis is massively watched and supported.

It is argued vociferously on here that women should be able to have women only groups, activities, places "gangs" even. Bit hypocritical to object to his men only one.

Nobody else seems to want to join his new club, will probably be about as successful as his tournament.

But @DidoLamenting, women don't start their clubs to ensure they get paid more than men.

@picklemewalnuts

But *@DidoLamenting*, women don't start their clubs to ensure they get paid more than men.

That's not relevant. It's still hypocritical to object to what he is doing.

I swear there are some posters who spend their whole lives patrolling the boards for any mention whatsoever of men. Then post endlessly

What about the men?
What If the situation was reversed?
You are a hypocrite.
You are bigot.
You need to see it from his point of view.
You need to keep him happy.
Do anything to keep your man.

It’s as if men won’t maintain their current positions as head of everything in the world without endless PR from a few select MN posters.

I’d like to think that the patriarchy was under threat and it needs all these online defenders but sadly it’s not.

Men players are welcome to form their own association IMHO. Just as tournaments (and sponsors?) are welcome not to recognise it.

However, it would not be hypocritical at all to object. Men are not the relatively worse off group in this (or (m)any scenario). That is the point of liberation, as opposed to seperatist, movements - to liberate the group expereincing discrimination or oppression.

Women players are the worse off as a class, still. Tho I'm aware we're talking about elite groups here. If men want sameness, they could switch to 3 sets max too, as a tennis fan I'd be allinfavour of this, I don't actually enjoy seeing them playing to collapse.

And finally, yes, love Andy Murray, a class act all round.

Federer and Nadal are not interested

With those two on board every male tennis.ayer would have joined, without their support it is a non starter

Every time I read a story about Diokovic my dislike of him grows.
It started when, prior to his miracle gluten-free diet, as a young player he would regularly forfeit a losing game due to 'injury'.

Then we had the anti vaxxer stance, the rude parents, the civil tournament, the fact that he refused to 'bubble up' for the US Open and rented a mansion instead...

@ALLIS0N

I swear there are some posters who spend their whole lives patrolling the boards for any mention whatsoever of men. Then post endlessly

What about the men?
What If the situation was reversed?
You are a hypocrite.
You are bigot.
You need to see it from his point of view.
You need to keep him happy.
Do anything to keep your man.

It’s as if men won’t maintain their current positions as head of everything in the world without endless PR from a few select MN posters.

I’d like to think that the patriarchy was under threat and it needs all these online defenders but sadly it’s not.

You (general you) really don't like departure from group think do you?

Your response does not remotely address my criticism of the hypocrisy on this thread.

As a big tennis fan I'll throw my tuppence in...

The ATP only represents male players. The tournaments it organizes are for male players only. Female players have their own organization the WTA which does the same for female players. The slams and the Olympics are the only tournaments that are joint events for both men and women. So Djokovic is not proposing anything different in the way tournaments are split by sex.

IMO women's tennis has benefited from having it''s own organization rather than merging with the men's one. Tennis is one of the very few sports where professional women players can compete with men in terms of prize money and the biggest purse of any event is the women's end of year event for the top women players. Notably there is no talk of the men joining the WTA or any other women's tour. I am sure that a mixed tour would be run by men and women rather than being central in their own tour would be secondary in a mixed event. It would be disastrous for women to surrender their own tour to men.

Not sure of the rational of having two competing men's tours but it's important that the WTA continues to support women's tennis.

Also a reminder that Andy Murray had a female coach who resigned because of the verbal abuse she suffered. Easy to say "I'm a feminist" and it wins brownie points harder to walk the walk though.

"... many men’s players reacted negatively to that prospect and some said that women’s players did not deserve to make as much money as the men."

Is this the 'we should be paid more for playing five sets not three' argument?

I would like to know the ticket sales for watching women's tennis versus the ticket sales for men's matches. Because ticket sales is where the prize money comes from. Oh, and sponsorship, although that seems to be personal to players rather than for the sport overall. Maybe some tournaments are sponsored too? Although I fancy that sponsorship would follow the ticket sales - why sponsor if it only gets your name in front of too few people?

Basically I'd love to see what money comes in, and what can be attributed to the men's game only and to the women's game only. I have a suspicion that the women's game brings as much money in as the men's - and if that is the case then the Women Should Be Paid Less Brigade need to either STFU or fuck off.